Desperate Journey (1942)

When the crew of a downed British bomber escape from their Nazi captors with Top Secret intelligence, they make a desperate journey to get out of Germany alive.

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writer:

Arthur T. Horman (original screenplay)

Stars:

Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Coleman

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Errol Flynn	...	Flight Lt. Terrence 'Terry' Forbes
Ronald Reagan	...	Flying Officer Johnny Hammond
Nancy Coleman	...	Kaethe Brahms
Raymond Massey	...	Major Otto Baumeister
Alan Hale	...	Flight Sergeant Kirk Edwards
Arthur Kennedy	...	Flying Officer Jed Forrest
Ronald Sinclair	...	Flight Sergeant Lloyd Hollis
Albert Bassermann	...	Dr. Mather (as Albert Basserman)
Sig Ruman	...	Preuss
Patrick O'Moore	...	Squadron Leader Lane-Ferris
Felix Basch	...	Hermann Brahms
Ilka Grüning	...	Frau Brahms (as Ilka Gruning)
Elsa Bassermann	...	Frau Raeder (as Else Basserman)
Charles Irwin	...	Captain Coswick
Richard Fraser	...	Squadron Leader Clark

Storyline

When Flight Lt Forbes and his crew are shot down after bombing their target, they discover valuable information, about a hidden German aircraft factory, that must get back to England. In their way across Germany, they try and cause as much damage as possible. Then with the chasing Germans about to pounce, they come up with an ingenious plan to escape.

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Plot Keywords:

escape | bombing | nazi | factory | airforce | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

26 September 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fugitivos del infierno

Filming Locations:

Lake Sherwood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Ronald Reagan's character is awakened, he complains that in his dream he had a date with Ann Sheridan. Reagan had played opposite Sheridan three teams including his two previous features, "Juke Girl" and "Kings Row."

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Goofs

The same shot of a railroad area being blown up is used twice, once to depict the site blown up by the saboteur at the beginning, and soon after as the area being bombed by the RAF bomber plane.

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Quotes

Flight Lieutenant Terrence Forbes: [Last lines] Now for Australia and a crack at those Japs!

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Connections

Referenced in Shadows (1959)

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Soundtracks

"God Save the King!"
(1744) (uncredited)
Music attributed to Henry Carey
Variations often in the score

User Reviews

"Now for Australia & a crack at those Japs!"

In this exhilarating adventure five POWs in Nazi Germany fight their way back to freedom...

Errol Flynn plays a downed RAF pilot making his journey through enemy territory disguised as a German officer... In addition to evading capture he manages with his crew, a Scottish veteran of World War I, Alan Hale; a Canadian navigator, Arthur Kennedy; an American Ronald Reagan and a young Englishman Ronald Sinclair, to blow up a secret chemical plant and steal a German bomber from a Messerschmitt factory...

The film (with exciting music by Max Steiner) ends with Flynn leading an RAF assault on the airplane factory after various acts of sabotage & violent conflict, aided and inspired by an anti-Nazi German family headed by a pleasant doctor (Albert Basserman) & his sweet daughter (Nancy Coleman).

The best scene comes early in the picture, when a Nazi Major (Raymond Massey) after having questioned the captured RAF crew, calls for a private interview with Reagan, thinking he will agree to reveal what he knows about the new RAF bomber engines, and recites easily an impressive number of facts about the component parts--all nonsense... Once he has the major's rapt attention, he punches him on the jaw, knocking him out and then help himself to the major's breakfast...